Between meetings

If you have a couple of hours…

On your way to meetings in the city centre you’ll probably walk right past the front door of the Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Tāmaki (aucklandartgallery.com) – an architectural marvel in itself. Inside are 17,000 works dating back to the 11th century so if you don’t have a lot of time to spare you’ll need to choose wisely. Head for the gallery’s level-one corridor to view Gottfried Lindauer’s late-19th-century portraits of prominent Māori.

If you have half a day…

The setting for Jane Campion’s The Piano, Karekare is a wild beach on Auckland’s remote west coast (50 minutes’ drive from the city) where huge surf pounds black volcanic sand. Take a restorative walk along the vast shoreline or make for Karekare Falls – a short stroll from the car park through verdant bush.

If you have a day…

Australia doesn’t have anywhere quite like Waiheke Island. Just a 40-minute ferry ride from downtown Auckland, the 92-square-kilometre island’s European-style vineyards, high-end eateries and beautiful beaches make for an appealing daytrip. Hire a car and drive south-east to the less inhabited part of the island and dine at Poderi Crisci Restaurant (poderi crisci.co.nz), set in what feels like a Neapolitan farmhouse. Lunch can be a leisurely fourhour, five-course affair of Italian classics or you could sample the dégustation menu.

If you have a weekend…

Auckland’s gourmet getaway of choice is Matakana (matakana village.co.nz). Just over an hour north of the city, this once sleepy hamlet has an upscale farmers’ market (think rhubarb and tamarillo crêpes and jalapeño schiacciata bread), produce-driven restaurants, a fine patisserie and cosy wine bar offering local reds. Walk off the excess at the nearby Brick Bay Sculpture Trail, doze on a golden beach at Tawharanui and retire in time to see the last light leak from the sky while gazing across vines at Takatu Lodge & Vineyard (takatulodge.co.nz).